The present invention relates to compressed gas cylinders, and in particular to a novel apparatus for protecting such cylinders during storage and use.
Protective apparatus for compressed gas cylinders are known in the art. One general style of apparatus of this type is characterized by a metallic cage which surrounds at least the bottom and sides of a compressed gas cylinder. This style of protective apparatus is exemplified in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,109,692 and 4,438,764. Another style of protective apparatus, designed especially for scuba diving tanks and the like, includes a pair of opposing end caps which are secured to a compressed gas cylinder by a quick release strap that passes around the length of the cylinder and each respective cap, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,022,343.
Increasingly stringent safety regulations for mines, oil drilling rigs, pulp and paper mills and other hazardous work environments often require the on-site storage of compressed oxygen or similar breathable gases for use in emergency situations. Compressed gas cylinders are highly pressurized and are recognized to be hazardous when stored and handled. Although the various prior art apparatus noted above are apparently adequate for the purposes for which they were designed, they are generally unsatisfactory for the long term storage of compressed gas cylinders in hazardous or potentially hazardous environments. Their disadvantages include the facts that they either occupy too much space, are expensive to produce, or do not provide adequate protection for the walls of a gas cylinder. There therefore exists a need for a protective apparatus for compressed gas cylinders which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.